BEREC aims to strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty

BEREC and its members stand ready to assist the Commission and the Member States in implementing the Digital Compass by benchmarking indicators and reporting on enabling comparable national coverage indicators throughout Europe. On 22 October, 2021, at the European Telecommunications Network Operator’s Association (ETNO) engagement with ICT stakeholders, BEREC Chair Michel Van Bellinghen (BIPT, Belgium) underlined that European regulators for electronic communications put promoting the Digital Decade targets at the forefront of their agenda, given the strategic importance for the European market. BEREC has actively contributed in the last months to the development of a European Connectivity Toolbox that will help Member States to develop National Digital Agendas and Broadband Plans, in a manner that would be futureproof, taking into account the green & digital transformation. In 2022, BEREC will support the further implementation of the European Electronic Communications Code in national practices. 

Michel Van Bellinghen said that ‘’promoting full connectivity for consumers and businesses remains a key priority for BEREC in 2022. In line with the European ambitions, BEREC will contribute by facilitating the roll-out of very high capacity networks and to stimulate their contribution to close the digital divide.”

In line with its strategic priority of promoting full connectivity throughout Europe, BEREC highly supports processes to boost investment in very high capacity broadband connectivity infrastructure, including 5G, on a European-wide level. On October 25, 2021, the BEREC Chair will participate in the public webinar on co-investment in networking sharing. The event is organized by the Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE). During the event, the Chair will address BEREC’s aim of ensuring the availability of very high-capacity networks promptly and prioritizing work that improves the general conditions for the take-up of secure, competitive and reliable high-capacity networks, both fixed and wireless, across Europe.